The cost of health care has risen to unsustainable levels. In the United States, approximately 5% of the population utilizes 49% of all health care resources, and many of these patients have multiple comorbidities and suffer from chronic conditions. It has been estimated by the Institute of Medicine that $690 billion or roughly one third of the United States health care budget represents wasted spending. From a financial perspective, the United States health care system is evolving from a fee-for-service system to a quality system based primarily on patient outcomes. One of the keys to this evolving global payment system is preventing unnecessary spending, including avoiding costly hospital admissions and readmissions.
A formidable underlying issue affecting health care delivery is early symptom recognition associated with suboptimal communication between patients and their health care providers. Inordinate delays in reporting symptomatic changes can interfere with efficient diagnosis, proper evaluation and effective treatment. Symptom exacerbations not detected in the early stages, and resultant reporting delays to physicians or care coordination teams, can result in higher levels of disease severity and costly hospital admissions and readmissions.
Population health management strategies focus on caring for individuals within a community-based, continuous care no-charge system. Care extends seamlessly from in-patient hospitalization through rehabilitation, long-term care, and into home environments. Patient monitoring is important throughout these phases of care yet can be especially challenging, cumbersome and expensive, while also not being sufficiently effective. For example, fall alert monitoring systems can provide valuable information about a patient's condition. However, these systems are designed for after-the-fact episodes, such as after the patient has already fallen and potentially sustained injuries, and are therefore ineffective at predicting a patient fall in advance.
In response to the issues described above, the inventor has recognized a need to provide a health care early warning system, among other enhanced tools, strategies, and techniques that can help health care providers and other practitioners to monitor patient condition and to maximize patient care.